Barcelona have been knocked out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage after a dramatic 4-3 defeat ensured that Inter will take their place in the showpiece event, with the Nerazzurri winning 7-6 on aggregate.
Inter races into 2-0 lead after excellent first half performance
It was a tough opening 20 minutes for Hansi Flick’s side, who struggled to get into the game. And things would get worse as Lautaro Martinez scored the first goal of the encounter following an error from Dani Olmo.
Barcelona grew into the game after that, and they came close to scoring via Lamine Yamal. But they were then made to pay for that miss as Inter doubled their lead right before half time, with Hakan Calhanoglu scoring from the penalty spot. There was fury among the Catalan side at the decision to award the spot-kick after VAR checked Pau Cubarsi’s challenge on Lautaro, but their complaints were futile.
Barcelona strike back in the second half
Barcelona were down at the interval, but they were not out. And they came roaring back inside the opening 15 minutes of the second period. Eric Garcia volleyed home after a Gerard Martin cross, and the latter provided an even better delivery to set up Dani Olmo to head home the equaliser on the hour mark.
Barcelona dominated the second half, and their reward was a third goal on 88 minutes. Raphinha struck the ball towards goal from inside the area, but despite being denied initially, he found the back of the net with the rebound.
Inter stay alive with late equaliser – and score winner in extra time
But it wasn’t enough for Barcelona in normal time as Inter found their way to an equaliser. With just minutes to go, Denzel Dumfries crossed for fellow defender Francesco Acerbi to stab home at the near post, sparking jubilant scenes inside the San Siro.
That goal meant extra time was needed to determine the winner of this semi-final tie. And it was Inter that got it on 97 minutes courtesy of Davide Frattesi, who curled into the far corner – leaving Wojciech Szczesny with no chance.
That was enough for Inter, who will now play Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on the 31st of May. Barcelona see their treble hopes go up in smoke, and they must now turn their attention to La Liga – with their next match being against Real Madrid this weekend.
